READING READINESS

Reading readiness is highly individualistic. There is no “one size fits all” solution to teaching a child to read. A parent or educator may need to employ several techniques before finding the most appropriate method for an individual child. A child can, through the help of an adult or one capable. A child performs at a higher level than he or she can independently. The process of learning to read should thus be supported by a caring and supportive individual.

Reading readiness skills

Age-appropriate oral language development and vocabulary

Appreciation of stories and books

Phonemic awareness

Understanding of basic print concepts

Understanding of the alphabetic principle

Ability to distinguish shapes

Ability to identify at least some letters of the alphabet

Read to the child

Have the child “read” to you

Allow the child to create their own story based on the pictures they see within the book

Reread stories multiple times

Omit words of a familiar story and allow the child to fill in the blank

Allow the child to experiment with words

Point to the words on the page as you read out loud to the child

This enables the child to understand that sentences consist of separate words.

--oOo— The author is Teacher III at Del Rosario Elementary School